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Wednesday, 17 October 2012

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: All the pretty from the Bridal Market catwalk shows....

Bridal Market (held this past weekend in the big apple) can only mean one thing – more 'oohing' and 'aahing' than your average fireworks display. Because a veritable firework display of beautiful gowns this most certainly is.

A bride who strides: Monique Lhuillier's cheeky thigh-split gown

For those of you unfamiliar with New York's biannual Bridal Market, it plays host to a glittering showcase of wedding talent from across the globe who all descend upon the big apple for four days of couture shows of their latest bridal collections, exciting new suppliers and basically share in an industry love-in. With collections from Vera Wang, Caroline Castigliano, Sassi Holford, Stephanie Allin and Monique Lhuillier showing on the runway and a clutch of couturiers holding private, invite-only trunk shows to rival the ateliers of Paris (and give Tom Ford a run for his money when it comes to the hype and 'wish I was on the invite list' elbowing), it's small surprise these runway to aisle style shows often dictate the trends and aesthetic of wedding fashion and weddings themselves, given they take such inspiration from gowns now, so wholly and absolutely. When Bridal Market's designers talk, we sit up and listen, taking notes and scribbling like women possessed.

More dreamy dresses, above, all from Monique Lhuillier Fall 2013

Highlights and noteworthy dresses this time around seemingly revolved around a return to a whiter shade of pale. Following several seasons of leading designers' collections being marked out by an irreverent and unexpected use of colour, hands up who welcomes the return of such pure beauty gracing the catwalks and inevitably aisles? We certainly do, much as love a bride foxy enough to wear red on her big day.

Luxuriously structured and full-bodied gowns with added ruffled interest in the skirts also made a strong showing led by the endlessly breathtaking Vera Wang, with voluminous romance and millefeuille layers at their best in Carolina Herrera's almost too-beautiful gowns. The girl has most certainly made a comeback.

Vera Wang ruffles our feathers. If we had some, that is....

For the magpies among you, glittering pewter beadwork smattered the corsets (yup, you read that right - corsets) of Marchesa and Monique Lhuillier in embellishment that harked back to the golden age of court dresses with their gilt thread bodices, but all given a modern, youthful feel thanks to simple silhouettes and acres of white fabric framing the sparkle.

And the high-low hems at Oscar de la Renta reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in her Givenchy best or detachable skirts and trains at Reem Acra, Amsale and Monique Lhuillier (thinkEmilia Wickstead's beautiful self-made wedding gown rather than Bucks Fizz)? Don't even get us started. With designers Vera Wang, Jenny Packham, Marchesa, Monique Lhuillier all showing and featuring in our forthcoming book, the future looks bright - and more than all white.

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What started as a blog chronicling resident bride Sophie McCorry Day's journey down the aisle in fall 2012 has grown into a veritable obsession. Founded as a resource featuring insider news, lashings of inspiration, new trends, real weddings, moodboards and more it is now home to everything there is to love about weddings in the hope that it just might help real brides find their planning feet and fall in love all over again with the idea of getting wed.